US EditionChagos Islands debate delayed as Tories call for halt to bill
The bill’s delay follows Conservative concerns over breaching a 1966 UK-US treaty and national security risks, with the debate expected to be rescheduled within weeks.
- Monday's scheduled Lords debate was withdrawn after a late Tory amendment filed on Friday, with Conservative peers calling for a pause amid legal and treaty concerns over the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill.
- Conservative critics argued the Bill risks breaching the 1966 UK‑US treaty , citing sovereignty concerns, and the pause followed a US U‑turn earlier this week after Donald Trump, US President, criticised the deal.
- Under the proposed deal, the UK would hand sovereignty to Mauritius while leasing back Diego Garcia for 99 years, paying Mauritius £101m a year and establishing a 24‑mile buffer requiring UK consent.
- Downing Street said peers had behaved irresponsibly in seeking to delay national security legislation, and ministers said UK and United States officials are continuing to work on securing the Diego Garcia military base.
- The postponement leaves the Bill stuck in parliamentary 'ping‑pong' between the House of Commons and House of Lords, delaying ratification and affecting US‑UK relations as about 2,000 expelled residents and around 10,000 Chagossians await a formal say.
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perspectivemedia.comUK and US ‘working together’ on Diego Garcia arrangements, No 10 says
It came after the Government postponed a parliamentary debate on its Chagos Islands deal.
Friday, January 23, 2026, in the evening, the British House of Lords managed to force the British government to withdraw from the agenda the consideration of the Chagos retrocession bill to Mauritius. While the text had reached an advanced stage in the parliamentary process, the decision taken in London on Saturday caused a sharp misunderstanding on the Mauritian side.
The Wrath of Trump & Starmer Backs Off Surrender of Chagos
Last week, the PM signed a long-dreaded treaty that officially hands control of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius. He effectively ceded a strategically vital territory that is of interest to China. Making matters worse, once the treaty is ratified by MPs, the UK will pay Mauritius £101 million a year for the next 99 years […] The post The Wrath of Trump & Starmer Backs Off Surrender of Chagos appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.
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